Security checking Tuason CCTV video inside Senate

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate’s security chief clarified that the chamber has video recording of the year socialite Ruby Tuason allegedly gave kickbacks to Senator Jinggoy Estrada but the closed-circuit television (CCTV) covered only the lobby and all 6 floors.

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Major Gen Jose Balajadia Jr said the Senate is reviewing the footage from cameras inside the building for the year 2008, when Tuason said she delivered bags of cash to Estrada.

Balajadia said the chamber had already deleted the CCTV footage of activities in the basement parking for the years 2002 up to 2010. Last week, Senator Jinggoy Estrada asked Balajadia’s office to release the CCTV recording of Tuason’s visits to the basement parking to clear his name.

“We have video of the lobby to the 6^th floor. We phased in our DVR or digital video recording from 2004 up to the present. We have DVD coverage of the lobby up to the 6^th floor,” Balajadia said in an interview on Monday, February 17.

His statement comes after Tuason said in a Senate hearing last Thursday that she delivered bags of cash to Estrada in 2008. She said she entered through the basement parking entrance, where Estrada asked his staff to meet her. She then rode the elevator going to Estrada’s office on the 6^th floor.

VHS tapes

Balajadia explained that from 2002 to 2010, the Senate security used time lapse recording video of the basement parking and stored the video on VHS tapes. His office already deleted the contents of the tapes.

“That was the issue in question. That’s what Senator Jinggoy requested but then during the last hearing, the issue came out that Tuason entered already the lobby all the way up to the 6^th floor,” he added.

Estrada told reporters the CCTV footage inside the Senate building is good enough for him.

“It’s very unfortunate [that they no longer have CCTV of the basement parking] but whatever CCTV footage they get of Mrs Tuason is okay with me. Of course, actually I was the one who brought it out: to release the CCTV footage, whatever we have.”

Estrada said he was confident the CCTV will prove him right that Tuason delivered trays of sandwich to his office. “Hindi bag (there were no bags).”

A potential state witness, Tuason turned against his long-time family friend Estrada to admit that she was a bagman in the pork barrel scam. Tuason was the social secretary of Estrada’s father, former President Joseph Estrada.

In the Senate hearing, Tuason said she gave Estrada P8 million to P10 million in cash in 2004 and 2008, representing his kickbacks from alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. She said she made the deliveries to his San Juan home and Senate office. Estrada flatly denied the allegation.

100 days to finish CCTV examination

Balajadia said the CCTV recording will show who goes in and out of the elevators, who walks along the corridors, and at what time. He said however that there are no CCTV cameras inside senators’ offices.

“The entrance of the elevator is focused, the camera is near that area so that will be clearly seen. But in a market full of people, you have to go through each frame to find out if she’s there.”

Balajadia said it will take his office 100 days, with his staff working 24/7, to finish going over the video.

With Tuason unable to give the date of her visit, the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms is going through all the video recorded in 2008 from Monday to Thursday, from 12 pm to 7 pm. Balajadia said he set the time because Tuason testified that she visited the Senate only in the afternoon.

“My people will be sitting down in [front of] the computer for 100 days to be able to watch all these tapes. They will be watching every frame. The 100 days do not include the time to stop the video and then you zoom in. What I was just saying is just movie-watching,” he said.

Once the work is completed, Balajadia said he will report to the Senate blue ribbon committee, and it is up to the panel to decide whether or not to release the video to the public.

Balajadia also addressed the point that Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago raised about the need to review Senate security. Santiago had said that the arrangement of allowing senators’ guests to enter the building without inspection was a security risk.

Tuason had said she passed through the basement entrance to avoid inspection at the main entrance. She identified two Estrada aides whom the senator would send to fetch her. 

Balajadia said, “We will just have to check that once we come up with the DVD. We will check our people, who allowed Ruby Tuaosn to enter. But if you are the guard and we are told, ‘The boss is allowing this person to enter,’ what do you do?” – Rappler.com